DNA forensic technology has changed the way we look at case evidence. Today, we cross-check DNA samples to see if the accused is guilty or innocent scientifically. Having DNA leaves less room for someone to be wrongly accused. Before DNA forensic testing, there was a higher chance of being falsely accused of a crime. That is why the Innocence Project has focused on exonerating those who have been falsely convicted. As of today, 375 people have been exonerated of their false convictions (Innocence Project 2020). Kirk Bloodsworth was the first person to be exonerated using DNA evidence and is now the Executive Director of Witness to Innocence. He was convicted of rape and murder of a child then released from his death sentence in 1993 (Witness to Innocence. N.D.). What is often left out of these stories is the aftermath, what exactly happens to them after being released.
According to the Innocence Project, the average amount of time spent in jail before being exonerated is 14 years in prison. That is 14 years of someone’s life being taken away while also being severely punished, all while innocent. They may lose family, friends, relationships, even the chance to reach their dreams. After that, they most likely have nothing, which is why many are suing the state that wronged them. Not all states require compensation through laws, and not all states have laws to help the wrongly convicted. In Texas, they are compensated $80,000 a year with an annuity set at that amount. In other states, they are let out homeless, jobless, and with a criminal record that may not even be erased. After spending 38 years in jail, Fred Clay fought to get compensation from Massachusetts, where he would qualify for around for $1 million (Burrell 2018). To receive this money, he must sue the state that convicted him. That can become very costly after being locked away for almost 40 years.
After years of being in the system, many wrongly accused walk out with nothing. If their friends and family shunned them before being exonerated, they have no one left. There is most likely no money waiting for them outside. With no money, no job, and no place to go, they are left to fend for themselves. The state has failed them without even giving them assistance or a place to stay. There are serious legal services needed for their criminal records to be expunged to get a job or an apartment. In fact, a Black person in American is seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted for murder and three times more likely to be wrongly convicted for sexual assault. That means 222 of the 362 people who were proven innocent by forensic DNA are Black (Innocence Project N.D.). There is even a longer wait to get their name expunged compared to Whites who were exonerated (Chokshi 2017). There are many more Black men and women like Fred Clay, who are left without help after being wrongly convicted for several years of their life. If you want to help stop this cycle, especially for Black Americans, check out https://www.innocenceproject.org/getinvolved.
Witness to Innocence. (ND). Kirk Bloodsworth. Retrieved from https://www.witnesstoinnocence.org/single-post/kirk-bloodsworth
Innocence Project. (2020, July 29). DNA Exonerations in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.innocenceproject.org/dna-exonerations-in-the-united-states/
Innocence Project. (ND). Exonerate the Innocent. Retrieved from https://www.innocenceproject.org/exonerate/#:~:text=Exonerate%20the%20Innocent&text=To%20date%2C%20375%20people%20in,prison%20before%20exoneration%20and%20release.
Innocence Project. (ND). Compensating The Wrongly Convicted. Retrieved from https://www.innocenceproject.org/compensating-wrongly-convicted/
Burrell, C. (2018, November 30). Fighting For Compensation After A Wrongful Conviction And 38 Years In Prison. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/670180358/fighting-for-compensation-after-a-wrongful-conviction-and-38-years-in-prison
Chokshi, N. (2017, March 7). Black People More Likely to Be Wrongfully Convicted of Murder, Study Shows. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/us/wrongful-convictions-race-exoneration.html